Creative Ways Select Exhibitions

Passageways: Growing Up in the World

We are excited to announce that PASSAGEWAYS is currently being updated and redesigned as a traveling exhibit in the U.S. and will be available for rent in Fall 2019. The exhibit is being designed in stations that can be configured for diverse gallery settings. For details please email Shari at inspire@creativeways.org

​Passageways: Growing Up in the World is a traveling exhibit for children and adults exploring the different paths we take as we journey from birth to adulthood around the globe. Through hands-on activities, creative environments, and an array of objects, photos and video —we invite you to think about the diverse traditions, rituals and experiences which connect us to our culture, community and ourselves.

​What are “Rites of Passage?”Rites of passage are the mileposts that guide travelers through the life cycle. In all human societies birth, coming of age, marriage and death are marked by rituals, ceremonies, events which mark the transition from, one stage of life to the next. Although each person progresses through the life cycle individually, the ceremonies and rituals which accompany the passage from one stage to the other, affirm and solidify the ties the individual has to his family, community and culture. Rites of Passage, are a way for families to celebrate shared cultural values. For example, in the Navajo Indian Tribe of America’s Southwest—the baby’s first laugh is time for a ritual celebration. In Navajo culture a deeply help value is the act of giving back to the community and the baby’s first laugh is a sign that the infant is now able to respond to and give back to the community.

PASSAGEWAYS: GROWING UP IN THE WORLD was curated, designed and fabricated by Benny Ferdman and Shari Davis. The original exhibit was created in partnership with the Israeli arts organization Omanut La'am (Arts for People). The exhibition travelled for three years in a retrofitted 40 foot x 8 foot shipping container transformed into a "Gallery on Wheels." Interactive galleries explored birth, adolescence and adulthood in cultures across the globe. Artwork by international artists exploring "rites of passage" was an integral part of the exhibition.